Feds Crack Down on California Pot Operations

Agency collecting expired, unwanted meds Saturday

(NEWSER) - You know that 6-year-old bottle of antibiotics sitting in your medicine cabinet left over from that really bad case of strep throat? The DEA wants it. No, really. This Saturday, it's offering Americans a chance to safely dump their expired or unwanted prescription meds in what it's calling a "collaborative effort to remove potentially dangerous controlled substances from our nation’s medicine cabinets," reports Fast Company. To find a location near you, click here . More»

City council approves pot levy; voters to decide in July

(NEWSER) - Oakland’s city council has approved a provision to apply a 1.8% tax to marijuana sold at medical dispensaries. If voters endorse the measure in July, Oakland would be the first city in the US to tax pot, reports the Wall Street Journal. Backers say it would bring in somewhere between $400,000 and $1 million annually for the cash-strapped city. More»

(NEWSER) - Don’t look now, but marijuana is essentially legal in California, the Washington Post reports. Medical marijuana facilities litter the state, some offering only the flimsiest pretext of medical care. Stride into the Medical Kush Beach Club in Venice Beach, for example, and two scantily clad women will lead you to a physician who will, for $150, dispense a “physician’s recommendation." Then you can enjoy the smoking lounge upstairs. More»

California's system has plenty of gray areas, New Yorker finds

(NEWSER) - California's legalization of medical marijuana helped create a cultivation and distribution network that promises big money for those willing to work in legal gray areas. Guided by an old friend, Blue, who's a dealer in all but name, David Samuels of the New Yorker follows the trail of Tibetan prayer flags from boutique-style urban dispensaries to lush fields in virtually lawless rural areas. More»

Machine provides 'lower prices, safety, anonymity,' says inventor

(NEWSER) - Always on the leading edge, LA is now the first city to have 24-hour medical marijuana vending machines. The bulky black boxes scan patrons' fingerprints and a prepaid card, dispensing neat green envelopes of pot. The machines provide "convenient access, lower prices, safety, anonymity," the inventor tells the AP. More»